Different Risk Factors for Very Low Birth Weight, Term-Small-for-Gestational-Age, or Preterm Birth in Japan
by
Naomi Tamura 1,2
, Tomoyuki Hanaoka 1, Kumiko Ito 1,3, Atsuko Araki 1,2, Chihiro Miyashita 1, Sachiko Ito 1, Hisanori Minakami 4, Kazutoshi Cho 4, Toshiaki Endo 5, Kazuo Sengoku 6, Katsuhiko Ogasawara 1,7 and Reiko Kishi 1,*
Naomi Tamura 1,2, Tomoyuki Hanaoka 1, Kumiko Ito 1,3, Atsuko Araki 1,2, Chihiro Miyashita 1, Sachiko Ito 1, Hisanori Minakami 4, Kazutoshi Cho 4, Toshiaki Endo 5, Kazuo Sengoku 6, Katsuhiko Ogasawara 1,7 and Reiko Kishi 1,*
1
Center for Environmental and Health Sciences, Hokkaido University, Kita 12, Nishi 7, Kita-ku, Sapporo 060-0812, Japan
2
Graduate School of Health Sciences, Hokkaido University, Kita 8, Nishi 5, Kita-ku, Sapporo, Hokkaido, 060-0812, Japan
3
Graduate School of Medicine, Hokkaido University, Kita 15, Nishi 7, Kita-ku, Sapporo, 060-8638, Japan
4
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Graduate School of Medicine, Hokkaido University, Kita 15, Nishi 7, Kita-ku, Sapporo, 060-8638, Japan
5
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, School of Medicine, Sapporo Medical University, Chuo-ku, Sapporo, 060-8556, Japan
6
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Asahikawa Medical University, 2-1-1-1, Midorigaoka Higashi,. Asahikawa, 078-8510, Japan
7
Faculties of Health Science, Hokkaido University, Kita12, Nishi5, Kita-ku, Sapporo, 060-0812, Japan
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2018, 15(2), 369; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph15020369
Received: 22 January 2018 / Revised: 11 February 2018 / Accepted: 14 February 2018 / Published: 21 February 2018
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Maternal and Child Health 2018)
From 1985 to 2013, the mean birth weight of infants in Japan decreased from 3120 g to 3000 g, and the low-birth-weight rate among live births increased from 6.3% to 9.6%. No prospective study has elucidated the risk factors for poor fetal growth and preterm birth in recent Japanese parents, such as increased parental age, maternal body figure, assisted reproductive technology (ART), and socioeconomic status. Participants were mother–infant pairs (n = 18,059) enrolled in a prospective birth cohort in Hokkaido, Japan from 2002 to 2013. Parental characteristics were obtained via self-reported questionnaires during pregnancy. Medical records helped identify very-low-birth-weight (VLBW; <1500g), term-small-for-gestational-age (term-SGA), and preterm-birth (PTB; <37 weeks) infants. We calculated relative risks (RRs) for PTB, VLBW, and term-SGA birth based on parental characteristics. The prevalence of PTB, VLBW, and term-SGA was 4.5%, 0.4%, and 6.5%, respectively. Aged parents and ART were risk factors for PTB and VLBW. Maternal alcohol drinking during pregnancy increased the risk; a parental educational level of ≥16 years reduced risk of term-SGA. Maternal pre-pregnancy BMI of <18.5 kg/m2 increased the risk of PTB and term-SGA. The RR for low BMI was highest among mothers who have low educational level. Among various factors, appropriate nutritional education to maintain normal BMI is important to prevent PTB and term-SGA in Japan.
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MDPI and ACS Style
Tamura, N.; Hanaoka, T.; Ito, K.; Araki, A.; Miyashita, C.; Ito, S.; Minakami, H.; Cho, K.; Endo, T.; Sengoku, K.; Ogasawara, K.; Kishi, R. Different Risk Factors for Very Low Birth Weight, Term-Small-for-Gestational-Age, or Preterm Birth in Japan. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2018, 15, 369.
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